Howard County Council member Calvin Ball wants more county residents and businesses to generate some of their own energy using small wind turbines.

The Columbia Democrat introduced legislation late last month that would change zoning laws and permit the devices across the county.

“It allows for wind turbines in many, most, districts throughout the county,” Ball said. “I think it will encourage sustainable energy use and help make people who want to be more environmentally focused to do that.”

Joshua Feldmark, director for the county’s office of environmental sustainability, said current zoning law is silent on wind turbines and the legislation could encourage residents and business to adopt the technology.

“It eliminates any sort of ambiguity of what people can do,” Feldmark said. “So it makes it abundantly clear and sort of opens up the possibility that folks may not have thought about it because they assumed it was not allowed.”

There are two wind turbines in Howard County — at a farm on Interstate 70 and on an apartment building in Ellicott City, Feldmark said.

Carroll and Frederick counties already have zoning laws permitting the devices.

Ball said he has considered the legislation for years, but believes current wind technology can make turbines viable for county residents and businesses.

“People would put them on the back of their house, on top of their house like a cable dish or an antenna, something like that,” Ball said.

The legislation must be approved by the county’s five-member planning board before it can move to the county council.

— Sarah Breitenbach

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user comments (2)

user independent says...

There is a joke in there somewhere.

Posted 6:09 PM, 03.09.10 | Permalink

user patdornan says...

NIMBY hypocrite liberals will have a field day with this one

Posted 2:31 PM, 03.10.10 | Permalink